North House Folk School

See a selection of program highlights below, and check back here for the complete schedule on November 6.

Weekend Highlights

Friday–Sunday, November 20–22

Presentations

From climate studies to stories from northern travels, performances celebrating northern geographies and cultures to winter sport or camping secrets, these inspiring presentations offer something for everyone and take place throughout the weekend. All presentations are free. Full schedule available November 6.

Bizhikiwag: The Bison Herd in Grand Portage

Friday, November 20, 3pm
with Jared Swader

In 2023, the Grand Portage Band welcomed bizhikiwag, the bison, back to their land. Join Bison Herd Manager Jared Swader to learn more about this effort, its connection to food sovereignty, and plans for the future of the herd.

Two Writers in the Far North: Dispatches from Svalbard and the Tallship Antigua

Saturday, November 21, 10:30am
with Stacy Carlson and Kathryn Nuernberger

What happens when artists’ projects determine the course of an arctic expedition? Hear from award-winning Minnesota authors Stacy Carlson and Kathryn Nuernberger, who both participated in the northernmost artist residency in the world. During a two-week voyage in Svalbard, Stacy, Kathryn, and 25 other artists pursued their creative projects while living aboard an antique schooner, immersed in a landscape of tundra, ice, reindeer, and polar bears. The writers will share photos and stories of Svalbard, read excerpts from their work, and discuss how the landscapes and other artists they traveled with on The Arctic Circle residency shaped their creative work.

Stacy Carlson’s latest novel, The Gyre, won the 2026 IndieReader Discovery Award for historical fiction, and chronicles the travails of a Russian Orthodox monk who wants to be the northernmost holy man in the world.

Kathryn Nuernberger is an essayist and poet whose latest book, Held: Essays in Belonging, is about symbiotic mutualisms, climate change, and finding family at the end of the world.

Svalbard, the Ice Paradise

Saturday, November 21, 3pm
with Paul Schurke and Ryan Rumpca

Svalbard has been called the "Arctic Serengeti" for its wealth of wildlife—thousands of polar bears, walruses, and reindeer, plus belugas, narwhals, & blue whales, the largest animal that has ever lived on this planet. Lying between Scandinavia and the North Pole, the island chain is home to the world's northernmost town, Longyearbyen, a chic community with Europe's largest wine cellar, 5 Star hotels, an opera house, and the global seed bank. Curiously, it was founded by the mining engineer, John Longyear, whose family also founded Minnesota's iron industry. An international zone administered by Norway, Svalbard hosts enclaves from various countries (including Russia's only community that—since it launched the war in Ukraine—still has full internet access). But Svalbard is so remote that it’s against the law to be born or die there (and no cats allowed either—but lots of sled dogs!).

Ely adventurer Paul Schurke has been exploring Svalbard by dogsled & ski for twenty years. Duluth filmmaker Ryan Rumpca has explored the area by sailboat with Paul's son Peter, a boat captain there. Paul & Ryan will share stories, photos and film footage of this Arctic haven, including fresh footage from Ryan's trip there this fall and Paul's June trip with Grand Marais friends Buck Benson and Carol Desain.

Nord Hus Expedition: Sailing the Great Lakes to Greenland

Sunday, November 22, 12pm
with Lonnie Dupre

Chased by gales, the 2025–26 Nord Hus expedition sailed into Lewisporte, Newfoundland on September 13 at 10:15am, making for an exciting finish of their 7,500-statute-mile Arctic voyage. The core crew consisted of veteran polar explorer and mountaineer Lonnie Dupre, mountaineer/Arctic explorer Pascale Marceau, professional sailor/wildlife ecologist Ashe Berton, and professional sailor/mountain athlete Hyland Garvey. On April 10, 2025, Nord Hus began its journey from the little hamlet of Grand Marais, Minnesota. The High Arctic voyage to Greenland was conceived by Lonnie Dupre, who explained, “My dream of going north in my own ship like that of past explorers Peary, Amundsen, and Nansen started 2 decades ago when I realized we could sail from my hometown, through the Great Lakes all the way to Greenland!” By August 4, 2026, Nord Hus reached the Polar Inuit community of Qaanaaq at latitude 77.5° some 740 miles north of the Arctic Circle. By August 6, it was time to sail 2,500 miles south and across the Labrador Sea to Newfoundland before the Arctic night and fall storms could halt them. On Sunday morning, September 13, the crew docked in Lewisporte, Newfoundland under a gentle breeze, calm waters, and the warmth of the rising sun. Lonnie will give a 1-hour ice-filled presentation on their observations and findings, followed by Q&A.

Skill Share Demonstrations

These short, intensive sessions focus on particularly handy skills. Skill shares will take place in the Milling shop and are free to attend. Dates and times available November 6.

Stranded Colorwork Knitting: Ergonomics with Tiny Needles

with Mathilde Yakymets-Lind

When knitting wooly things for winter, Nordic colorwork patterns provide beautiful designs and extra warmth from the layer of wool floats on the interior of the items. Mathilde will cover the ergonomics of using tiny double-pointed needles: how to keep consistent tension, manage yarn and floats, and protect yourself from hand strain.

Winter Herbal Hydrosols

with Sam Martinez

A hydrosol, also known as floral water, is an aromatic herbal water. Herbalist Sam Martinez will discuss the process and benefits of making winter hydrosols. Learn about, smell, and sample Sam’s herbal creations!

A Place for Winter Coats: The Making of a Wooden Coat Rack

with Paul Linden

Slöjd for the home! Paul Linden will explain the design, planning and preparation for his new winter coat rack.

Designing Scandinavian Colorwork Mittens

with Steph Vos and Lauren Newby

Friends Steph and Lauren band together to share their excitement about Scandinavian mittens. They'll discuss color, tradition, contemporary designs, and even invite you to design your own!

Looking Towards Thaw: Timber Framing a Sugar Shack

with Teagan Weiss and Lily Simko

Interns Teagan and Lily share stories about their ambitious capstone project: creating a timber-framed sugar shack.

Herbal Balms for the Wintertime

with Sam Martinez

Herbalist Sam Martinez guides you through the process of making your own winter herbal balms! It's free to listen and watch, but there is a $10 cash material fee for those who want to walk away with a tin of their own herbal balm.

Needle Felting a Winter Landscape

with Susan Ferguson

Join us to needle felt a winter landscape, northern lights, or any creative scene!

The History of Kolrosing

with Liesl Chatman

In Liesl’s opinion, there’s no better way to spend the winter than kolrosing! In this skill share, Liesl will share how stories have been and continue to be told by tattooing wood using an old craft called kolrosing. She will talk about what she's learned across several trips to Norway, Sweden, Germany, and Belgium in search of this nearly lost decorative craft.

Arctic Film Festival

This one-of-a-kind festival features films from around the globe that visually tell the story of the North. Documentaries, features, and shorts showcase arctic landscapes, traditional cultures, northern adventures, and changing climates. All film screenings are free and held in the Blue Building. Full schedule available November 6.

Friday Highlights

Friday, November 20

Open Fire Dinner on a Stick & Outdoor Shorts Film Festival

Gather around a bonfire and cook over an open fire as a community. Participants bring their own food; we’ll provide the fire and the pointy sticks. Sausages to steaks, pudgie pies to home fries, it’s all welcome. Beginning at 6pm, we’ll enjoy a selection of winter-themed short films.

Snowshoe Shuffle Traditional Community Contra Dance

6:30pm family dance, 7:30pm community dance

Don your winter wardrobe and warm up at this friendly community contra dance. The dance takes place in the historic timbered woodshop.

Cold Snap Poetry Celebration

Cold Snap Poetry Celebration is a friendly gathering highlighting spoken word and the glories of the frozen North! Join in the fun by reading one of your own works or any seasonal poetry of your choosing. By sharing your favorite hibernal verse, presenters will receive wide recognition as cultural icons, as well as a free bottomless bag of popcorn for the weekend!

Register here

Saturday Highlights

Saturday, November 21

The Great Gear & Ski Sale

Bring your outdoor equipment to sell or get in on some great bargains & buy. Backcountry skis to winter canvas tents. Ice skates to kites. Winter boots to down jackets. All are welcome. Get your registration form here! 

North House partners with BILL.com for Gear Sale payouts. Interested in direct deposit for your Gear Sale split? Let us know when you turn in your Gear Sale registration, or simply write "BILL" on the bottom of your sheet, and we'll send you an e-invite from BILL after the sale. Not interested? A check for any owed Gear Sale splits will be mailed from BILL to your address on file in 7-14 days.

The Deep Freeze Chili Feed

Bundle up and grab your bowl for this traditional winter favorite: chili & freshly baked cornbread. Hot chili (your choice: vegetarian or meat) is cooked up in the kettle and enjoyed in the company of other hearty winterers.

Featured Speaker: Kayleen Ward-Peter

7pm, Red Building
Gardening Above the Arctic Circle and Other Adventures

North House is honored to welcome Kayleen Ward-Peter to Winterers’ Gathering. Kayleen is Gwich’in from Venetie, Alaska, a small village located north of the Arctic Circle. Kayleen is making the long trip south to share stories of her work in food sovereignty, capacity building, and cultural vitality in her northern homeland. She serves on the council of the Native Village of Venetie Tribal Government and is also the chair of the T’ee Drin Jik Tribal Conservation District. Kayleen is a powerful advocate for the Porcupine Caribou herd and the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Kayleen’s work centers on her homelands and the animals and plants of her northern landscape. Aside from work, Kayleen is an outdoors woman and an artist. Whether she’s hunting, getting wood, exploring the land, beading, sewing, or identifying natural plants, outside is where you will find her.

Kayleen will give the featured presentation on Saturday, November 21, at 7pm in the Red Building. Free and open to the public.